I'm still Sean that me mates went to school with, not Sean the film star. And that's the way I prefer to be.

I think everybody's got different methods of working which suit the particular individual. Mine is to sort of play the part, and give 100%, to concentrate and focus on it while I'm actually working, but then leave it behind until the next day.

Lord of the Rings was just so much enjoyment. It was over about the space of a year that I was filming. It's one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done, so emotional.

Usually you tend to glean much more information about your character from what other people say about you, rather than how it's described in the books.

I think that you always have something left, that you take something of the character with you.

If you have a very good concept of your character, you can snap into it.

Sharpe is my favorite role of all that I've played. He's a very complex character. He knows that he's a good soldier, but he will always have to fight the prejudice of aristocratic officers because of his rough working-class upbringing. On the battlefield, he's full of confidence - but off it, he is unsure, a bit shy and ill at ease.